Braveheart
by fiercesunshine
Summary: Some of Yuffie's more serious thoughts, feelings, and memories.


**Author's Note:** I'm not entirely sure where this came from. I've never been a huge Yuffie fan, but I think there's a lot more to her than meets the eye. (Ignore the Transformers reference, please. XD)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anyone or anything.

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We'd all lost something to the darkness; a loved one, a home, even parts of ourselves. Some of us changed physically, like Cloud, while others tried to forget it ever happened by removing themselves from the past, like Sq- er, Leon. Cid tried to hide it; he had us to take care of, but we all knew he didn't only drink tea. Aerith poured herself into helping others, and Tifa went out searching. Merlin acted like nothing ever happened. I was just a kid, so _I_ made up stories.

I wanted to be strong, like Leon, but still pretty, like Aerith. Eventually, I decided that I was the princess of Wutai, a place where ninjas ruled – which made _me_ a ninja princess. When I was old enough, Cid gave me a shuriken, and I started training with Aerith. After awhile, Leon took over – that's part of the reason I'm able to dodge him all the time. Cid was usually busy working in the shop, trying to support our makeshift family, but there was one time when he dusted off his spear and joined us for some sparring. I hate to admit it, but the old man's not bad.

When I first killed a Heartless, I was running for my life. You can't tell anyone, though; they think I'm fearless. I'd gone to check out the old house (I didn't know Merlin, at the time) when a Soldier came at me. I'd tried to run up the rooftops, but it was still coming. As a last resort, I threw my shuriken. It hit the Heartless square on the face, ripping into it like it was butter. I bragged about it later, of course, but I'd gotten lucky, and I knew it. After that, though, I started fighting them more often, though never by myself.

After awhile, I met Merlin. I'd been convinced that his house was haunted, but when I finally figured out how to open the fire door, I dashed right in. He looked at me and smiled, telling me I was right on time before asking me if I'd like some tea. We talked for a long time, and soon he was like another member of the family. I didn't remember much about Hollow Bastion, but he would show me pictures. Sometimes, it was almost like being there.

When we left Traverse Town, I was sad, but excited (but not about getting motion sickness). I was a great ninja now, and I was going back to my home. I didn't want to be separated from Sora for a long time, but I knew it was important, so I said my cheerful good-bye and waited with the others as he fought – and defeated – Ansem.

After that, people started returning to Hollow Bastion. Merlin came, and we all lived in his house (it's a lot bigger than it looks, thanks to magic). A few weeks later, we met (well, re-met) Tifa. She's been lost somewhere else, along with a lot of other people, but everyone was glad to see her alive. I could remember her from when I was younger, and soon she and I started training together. After all, the Heartless were still out there.

About a month later, Cloud came. He was really badly hurt; it took both Aerith _and_ Merlin to heal him. I snuck in one night to see him, and you could barely tell he'd even had a wing. I remembered seeing him fight at the Olympus Coliseum, and it scared me. Leon found me in his room, having come in to check on Cloud personally – the two of them had formed some sort of bond after fighting together, though they wouldn't admit it. He didn't yell at me for being there or anything, though – he just sort of sighed and told me to go to bed.

I ended up staying for another hour. I also totally caught Leon brushing away some of Cloud's hair.

I don't really know why I'm telling you all this. Maybe I want people to see that I'm more than just a crazy, hyperactive ninja (who has mad skills, by the way). Maybe I'm just bored. Maybe I'm luring you into a false sense of security so you don't notice that I'm stealing your munny. Whatever the reason, just remember: everything's going to turn out okay, in the end – unless you get on the bad side of the Grand Ninja Yuffie!


End file.
